Cessna hikes single-engine prices
Cessna has increased the prices of both the model 172R Skyhawk and 182S Skylane to bring them more in line with actual production costs experienced over the past year.
Although the price increases weren't yet official at press time, it is expected that the base price of a VFR Cessna 172R Skyhawk will jump from $124,500 to $133,700, while the price of the VFR 182S Skylane will increase from $190,600 to $217,900.
To ease the blow of the higher prices, Cessna is offering previous options as standard - such as wheel fairings for the Skyhawk and leather interior, wheel fairings, and a three-blade propeller for the Skylane.
One dealer - Lincoln Park Aviation in New Jersey - reports that most potential customers seem unfazed by the price increase, adding that demand currently is stronger for the 182.
Cessna currently has a backlog of 600 piston aircraft, counting the 172, 182, and 206 models. All 206 production for 1998 is sold out. Skyhawks are sold out through the first quarter of 1998, while Skylane production is sold out through the third quarter of 1998. Cessna has made no announcement about pricing plans for the 206 model.
The new prices are effective with Skyhawk serial number 415 and Skylane serial number 290. Those aircraft are likely to be built in mid-1998. Aircraft with the lower serial numbers will be sold at the lower prices.
Cessna had hoped to produce 1,000 aircraft in 1997, but the realities of starting a new plant caught up with overly optimistic projections, and only 500 will be built. Production was slowed by a variety of problems. It is likely that the projection of 2,000 aircraft for 1998 will be lowered while problems with increasing production are solved. Cessna's single-engine plant has grown from 200 workers in January 1997 to nearly 1,000.
Cessna said the price increase was necessary when actual production costs were determined once the plant in Independence, Kansas, was built and placed in operation. Parts suppliers, sensing the greater demand for their products and facing ramp-up costs of their own, increased prices to Cessna and other manufacturers.
Mooney Encore certificated, deliveries begin
The Mooney Encore received certification from the FAA on November 7, 1997, and deliveries started the same day.
One new owner was waiting on the Mooney ramp at Kerrville, Texas, as the flight manual was signed by the FAA. Two of the aircraft have now been delivered. The model was manufactured until 1990 as the Mooney TSE, and before that as the 252. Changes for the Encore included a 10-horsepower increase, a 230-pound gross weight increase, an all-carbon fiber cowling, and beefed-up landing gear. The aircraft now sports a 220-horsepower Continental TSIO 360 (see " Back to the Future," August 1997 Pilot, p. 48).
The cost to Mooney for winning FAA approval of those changes was nearly half-a-million dollars. The process took eight months, 187 flight hours, 3,000 gallons of avgas, and 6,000 work hours. However, FAA officials say that the time-consuming and costly effort was not the fault of bureaucratic regulations.
Part of the reason, the FAA says, was that Mooney wanted to have the Encore meet Part 23 regulations, because this would make the airplane more marketable in Europe. Many of the 187 test flight hours were spent by Mooney setting up the engine fuel system.
However, Mooney estimates that the modifications would have required still more work and cost nearly $3 million if new certification rules now pending before the FAA are approved. AOPA is vigorously fighting the changes because of the damage they would do to general aviation.
Continental invests in electronic engine controls
Allegheny Teledyne Company, the parent company of Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM), has acquired Aerotronics Controls Inc. (ACI), a Connecticut-based startup company specializing in electronic engine controls.
The incorporation of ACI microcontroller-based products in piston-powered light aircraft is designed to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, decrease pilot work load, and lower maintenance costs induced by variations in pilot operating technique.
ACI expects to certify and produce initial products in two years. The company was started in 1996 by four aerospace engineers and Connecticut businessman Paul J. Daqui, and is located in Farmington, Connecticut. Primarily, it will serve the general aviation piston-engine marketplace.
TCM President Bryan L. Lewis said that the new electronic control devices will be used on future Continental engines. "[It] is expected to open the future to a wide range of electronic-based maintenance and service capabilities for the average general aviation pilot," Lewis said. ACI products will complement TCM's existing line of ignition products for both new and aftermarket piston aircraft engines.
Two lucky UND Aerospace seniors at the University of North Dakota have won scholarships from Bombardier Business Aircraft for type ratings in business jets. Susan Bailey will receive a Global Express type rating, while Aleah Longshore will be type rated in the Challenger. Both have straight-A grade averages, yet participate in numerous outside activities such as the UND Flying Team.
The first production Cessna Citation Excel rolled out of the Wichita plant in late November. Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer said that he believes sales will eventually top 1,000 aircraft. Certification is expected this month, with the first delivery planned for April. The Excel cruises at speeds up to 430 knots at 41,000 feet. The range is more than 2,000 miles with 45-minute fuel reserves carrying two crew members and four passengers. However, with less fuel the aircraft can carry up to 10 passengers. The price is $7.2 million.
Soloy receives STC for Dual Pac Engine
Soloy Corporation of Olympia, Washington, has received FAA approval for its Soloy Dual Pac twin-engine, single-propeller powerplant. The approval is a supplemental type certificate to the Pratt & Whitney PT6 type certificate.
The two PT6D-114A engines transfer power through a combining/reduction gearbox to provide single-engine handling qualities with multiengine power and redundancy. With centerline thrust, the Dual Pac permits deliberate and continuous shutdown of one powerplant to extend an airplane's range.
Soloy's Pathfinder 21, a modified Cessna 208B Caravan, will be the first recipient of the new 1,329-shaft-horsepower STC. The Pathfinder is a stretched Caravan with a 12,500-pound maximum gross weight. For more information, call Soloy at 360/754-7000.
Superior to come out of Chapter 11
Superior Air Parts of Dallas says that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the district of Delaware has confirmed the company's reorganization plan, a move that will allow the company to emerge from bankruptcy. Under the plan, the Houston-based investment firm Rice, Sangalis, Toole, and Wilson will own the company.
Bernie Coleman, Superior's newly named president and CEO, said, "Finally we're able to complete our new, improved Millennium Cylinder product line and to increase the production levels to meet pent-up demand."
Superior went into Chapter 11 last July to reorganize its debt structure and free up cash for purchasing raw materials and inventory. Superior is the world's largest manufacturer of FAA-approved replacement parts for Lycoming and Continental engines and is a distributor for more than 40 aviation-related manufacturers.
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty has moved into new headquarters near the Corona (California) Municipal Airport. The company was formerly located in a 27,000-square-foot facility in Fullerton, California. The new building has 67,000 square feet. Aircraft Spruce President Jim Irwin says prices will be coming down on some items as a result of the move because of greater efficiencies provided by the new building.
Pilotless Champ reaches 12,000 feet on 90-mile jaunt
A restored 1946 Aeronca Champ took off from Urbana, Ohio's Grimes Field and flew for about 90 minutes without a pilot.
Paul Sirks of Dayton, the airplane's owner, had landed at Urbana because of mechanical problems. After the engine quit on the ground, Sirks hand-propped it back to life, and the airplane apparently got away from him. The ghost-riding Champ narrowly escaped hitting another airplane and a hangar before it became airborne.
The airplane circled the airport for approximately five minutes before heading off to the northeast while being tracked by a State Police aircraft. The empty Champ reportedly reached an altitude of 12,000 feet before it presumably ran out of fuel and made a hard landing in a bean field 90 miles away. No one was hurt in the incident, but the aircraft was destroyed.
Thanks in large part to FAA official Jerry Searcy, a bird that once was on the endangered list is now on the historic list. The FAA's Douglas DC-3, registration number N34, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The aircraft was retained in the FAA fleet, at the urging of Searcy, as part of the FAA's heritage. Its job was to check the accuracy of navigational and landing aids. Searcy had hoped to return N34 to the airshow circuit, but the FAA said that the aircraft will stay in its hangar until museum facilities are available in Oklahoma City.
The Lockheed C-130 has been the military/civilian transport of choice for 30 years; there are few things it can't do other than land on water. Soon, that may change. Lockheed Martin officials are looking for strong orders to launch production of a C-130 on floats. At present, not many customers are interested in ordering quantities greater than two or three - other than Navy Seals, who would like several of the aircraft. At present the idea is still under study in Lockheed wind tunnels. The aircraft needs reasonably settled seas with waves of no more than four to six feet, and it can be used for mine laying, antisubmarine warfare, firefighting, search and rescue, ship-to-shore resupply, and oil-spill response. It can be built; fhe question is, does anyone want it done badly enough? If you are in need of a C-130 on floats, call the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at 301/342-8297 and speak to John Eney.
The Windeagle Aircraft Corporation has begun moving into production facilities at North Bay, Ontario, and officials hope to complete the first aircraft fuselage at the end of January. The aircraft is based on the Windecker Eagle AC 7, originally conceived by Dr. Leo Windecker in Midland, Texas, in the early 1970s. A completed aircraft is expected sometime between April and June. The cost of the four-seat, 177-knot aircraft is projected at $198,500. Other models are planned. For information, call 905/331-0355.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association has moved its headquarters to 636 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20001-3736. The telephone number is 202/216-9220. The organization can be found on the Web ( www.pama.org).
FBO decline is slower than predicted, oil executive says
Jill Bogan, the aviation manager for Phillips 66 Company, says that the number of FBOs declined from 10,000 in 1980 to 3,800 today. But that is a slower rate of decline than predicted in the early 1990s, when it was thought that the number of FBOs would drop to 2,000 by the year 2000. Many FBOs expanded services and thus survived. That creativity will be essential to the survival of existing FBOs, she said.
Bogan also had some things to say about fuel. She said that Phillips 66 continues to hold onto 25 percent of the 100LL market. There should be no shortage of 100LL for the next five years, since no comparable unleaded substitute is available. It is unlikely that unleaded gas can be produced to meet a minimum requirement of 97 or 98 lean octane within the next five years. But when it is available, it will increase the cost of avgas 40 or 50 percent, she predicted.
The good news is that a new unleaded aviation fuel would require the use of proven hydrocarbon compounds now used in other chemical applications. "Since these additive packages are currently not used in either aviation gasoline or motor fuel, the refining industry, as well as government agencies, will need several years for certification testing," she said.
Soon insomniac aviation enthusiasts will have all-night entertainment. Wingspan, Air & Space Channel, promises 24-hour aviation and aerospace cable television programming featuring news; current events; and historical, educational, and entertainment features, starting in April. The new channel is headed by Walter Boyne, chairman, and Philip Osborn, president and CEO.
Exclusive Aviation of Fargo, North Dakota, has created an all-composite turbine-powered Grand 51 based on the P-51 Mustang design. The airframe and control surfaces of the $600,000, 350-plus-knot aircraft are carbon fiber epoxy. It is intended as a non-aerobatic, cross-country aircraft that is operated less expensively than an actual warbird because of its design and its Lycoming T53-L701A turbine engine, the same engine used in the military OV-1 Mohawk aircraft. The scoop on the bottom of the 8,000-pound-max-gross-weight aircraft is purely cosmetic. It has electric gear and a 10-foot propeller. The first flight is expected this month, and an appearance at the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-in this spring is planned. For information, call 701/293-9331.
What are arguably the two best government-sponsored aviation museums in the United States? If you said the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, then here are two new books you may enjoy reading or just admiring. Howell Press of Charlottesville, Virginia, has just published a 450-page coffee table book called American Eagles, featuring the collection of the U.S. Air Force Museum. It is well worth the $65 cost. Call 800/266-1995 or 805/525-2387. Published at the same time, coincidentally, is Air and Space by The National Air and Space Museum in association with Bullfinch Press/Little, Brown and Company. Like the Howell Press book, it is a large-format work containing beautiful aircraft photography. The 310-page book costs $50, and is so up-to-date that it includes Pathfinder photos from Mars. The book is available at bookstores everywhere.
Squawk Sheet
The FAA has proposed a new airworthiness directive affecting American Champion Aircraft (Bellanca) 7, 8, and 11-series airplanes, excluding the 8GCBC, which has already received similar action. The proposed AD (97-CE-79) will require the installation of inspection holes on the top and bottom surfaces of the wings to allow for inspections of the wooden fore and aft wing spars. Eight accidents (five of them fatal) involving the 8GCBC have been attributed to in-flight structural failure of the wing. Upon inspection, the FAA claims that damage was found on the front and rear spars of the accident aircraft. The NPRM is available on AOPA Online on the Web
Reports of worn or frayed flap system cables leading to flap pulley grooves that are too narrow on many Twin Commander 500-, 600-, and 720-series airplanes have prompted the FAA to propose an airworthiness directive requiring flap system inspections. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 97-CE-69 will supersede AD 94-04-17 and will affect approximately 1,230 airplanes at a cost of approximately $1,320 per airplane, according to the FAA.
The United States Aerobatic Foundation has started a new Web site ( www.usaf-aerobatics.org) where you can learn the latest about the U.S. Aerobatic Team, national and international competition; register to win a J-3 Cub; and learn more about the foundation itself.
The National Ocean Service terminal procedure charts have been reorganized, and three sets have been added. The new approach plate booklets are NC-3 for Iowa and Missouri, SC-4 for Louisiana and Mississippi, and SE-4 for Alabama and South Carolina. The change affects five other approach plate sets: NC-1 now covers North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota; NC-2 covers Nebraska and Kansas; SC-1 covers Oklahoma and Arkansas; SE-1 covers Kentucky and Tennessee; and SE-2 covers North Carolina and South Carolina.
Commander Aircraft Company located in Bethany, Oklahoma, has received a $3.6 million cash infusion from parent company KuwAm Corporation, located in Washington, D.C. Commander Aircraft, which manufactures the IFR-equipped $322,500 Commander 114B and the IFR $376,500 Commander 114TC, will use the money to pay off debts and expand into aircraft refurbishment and used aircraft sales. This year Commander expects to sell nearly a dozen new aircraft.
Million Air Northwest at Snohomish County Airport/Paine Field in Everett, Washington, has become the twenty-sixth member of the nationwide Million Air chain of FBOs.
The Department of Transportation has placed a new document search tool on the Web ( http://dms.dot.gov). It contains rulemaking and other legal documents, thus allowing you to follow the regulatory process more closely.
Bombardier Aerospace has received a $250 million order from TAG Aeronautics for five Global Express and five Challenger 604 business jet aircraft. TAG, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the distributor for several Bombardier business jets and airliners in 22 Middle East and Arab countries. TAG has been a partner for 22 years.
Rides are available in a Stinson V-77 Gullwing, and there are even discounts for AOPA members, but you'll have to go to Alaska first. Alaskan Outback Adventures is offering 45-minute flights for $105 out of Auke Bay, Alaska. In that time you'll see Juneau's 1,500-square-mile ice cap, the Tongass National Forest, whales, bears, mountain goats, glaciers, and scenic rivers. If you are planning a vacation to Alaska or are already living there, and want to experience aviation history, call 907/789-9661.
Discovery head discovers flying
After years of inspiration from watching aviation shows on his own network, John Hendricks, AOPA 1320982, decided to go for a new challenge - becoming a pilot.
Hendricks is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Discovery Communications Incorporated (DCI), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Although DCI has many spinoffs in cable programming, it is best known for the Discovery Channel, carrier of pilot programs such as Wings.
Hendricks passed his checkride last October 17 in Grand Junction, Colorado, with 77 hours of total flight time. His instructor, Deanna Strand, said that Hendricks is "a very careful and alert pilot who values the stick and rudder aspect of flying." Given that description, it was no surprise to learn that Hendricks recently bought a new Maule M-7-235, which he keeps in Grand Junction. Besides his home in Potomac, Maryland, Hendricks is completing a ranch retreat in Gateway, Colorado, which will have a grass runway.
In conjunction with Texas Aircraft Factory in Fort Worth, Texas, the Champlin Fighter Aircraft Museum in Mesa, Arizona, has begun the restoration of four Japanese Nakajima Ki.43 IIIa fighters that were recovered from the Kuril Islands. At one time, the aircraft was the principal adversary of the Flying Tigers.
Northstar Avionics of Acton, Massachusetts, is to supply Afton, Wyoming-based Aviat Aircraft with GPS receivers for use in the company's new Husky and Pitts aircraft.
Bombardier Aerospace has chosen UND Aerospace at the University of North Dakota to provide aerospace physiology training to cockpit crews of Global Express and Challenger 604 Business Jet customers. The training will be part of the standard crew training package for new aircraft customers.
Six California condors enjoyed luxury accommodations aboard a Del Monte Aviation King Air 200 for a trip from the Los Angeles Zoo to Monterey Peninsula Airport, where Del Monte is based. Once they arrived, it was back to being just a bunch of birds when they were taken to a cave-like nest setting at the Ventana Wilderness Sanctuary. Eventually they will be released into the wild. The birds were on the verge of extinction until a captive breeding program was established in the early 1980s. When the captive population increased, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manned a vigorous reintroduction program to release them to the wilderness.
Chandler Air Service, near Phoenix, has added a Great Lakes and Pitts S-2B to its aerobatic training and unusual attitude recovery program. In addition, pilots may use veterans' benefits for the training. The school maintains an Internet site ( www.aerobatics.com/fly/) and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
Hartzell gets STC for Apache/Travel Air
Hartzell Propeller has obtained an STC to install new lighter weight two-blade propellers on Beech Travel Air models 95, B95, B95A, D95A, and E95, as well as on 150- to 160-horsepower Piper Apaches.
The new propellers utilize aluminum hubs in place of the older steel hubs that are affected by Airworthiness Directive 95-11-08 for the Travel Air and AD 97-18-02 for the Apache. Use of the aluminum hub cuts weight by 11 pounds on the Travel Air and five pounds on the Apache. A three-year/1,000-hour warranty, a 2,000-hour TBO, and two spinners are included in the kits. The Travel Air kit lists for $14,000 while the Apache kit lists for $12,900. For information, call Hartzell at 800/942-7767 or 937/778-4201.
Orbital Sciences strengthens Magellan
Orbital Sciences Corp., parent of Magellan Systems, has acquired Ashtech and has merged it under the Magellan name. Among Ashtech's many GPS products is a GPS receiver board for the Universal Avionics UNS-1K Flight Management System. A Magellan spokesman said that the acquisition gives Magellan an entry into the integrated high-end avionics market. It already has products positioned in the consumer market.
With the acquisition, Magellan becomes the largest manufacturer of GPSs in the world. Meanwhile, Randy Hoffman, president of Magellan, resigned in late October to run for the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 24th Congressional District.
Magellan's new president is Chuck Boesenberg, the former president of Ashtech, who has been a senior vice president at Apple Computer and president of MIPS Computer Systems and Central Point Software.
The National Aeronautic Association has chosen Charles H. Kaman, chairman and CEO of Kaman Corporation, as the 1997 recipient of the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. The award is given to those who contribute "significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States." Kaman was selected for the recognition because of his "more than 50 years of contributions to the development of rotary-wing aviation, and a lifetime of service to his country as an engineer, entrepreneur, visionary, and humanitarian."
AOPA members in the news
During ceremonies on October 31 at the Experimental Aircraft Association's Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Clement Harold Armstrong, AOPA 018400, and Paul Poberezny, AOPA 117957, were inducted into the EAA Antique/Classic Hall of Fame. Rudy Frasca, AOPA 201320, and Sue Parish, AOPA 186531, were named to the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame, along with the late Jeff Ethell.
Edward Stimpson, AOPA 1142928, former president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, was awarded the National Aeronautic Association's Elder Statesman of Aviation Award for 1997. Stimpson is now the vice chairman of GAMA.
Tim Jeffery, AOPA 582326, of Duncansville, Pennsylvania, was named Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year by the FAA's Eastern Region. Jeffery is a preflight specialist at the Altoona Flight Service Station and is president of EAA chapter 400.
Michael Terry, AOPA 798701, has again this year photographed and published his Aviation Legends 16-month calendar. For information call Terry in Santa Paula, California, at 800/266-1995 or 805/525-2387.
Jamie Kramer, AOPA 1295775, of Traverse City, Michigan, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship and $500 U.S. Savings Bond from the Avfuel Corporation for her essays addressing important industry issues. Kramer is a student at Northwestern Michigan College and a ramp agent for American Eagle. She is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating who owns a Beech Sundowner. She plans to use the scholarship money to obtain a multiengine rating.
William P. Heitman, AOPA 998494, of Durham, North Carolina, was recently named Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year by the FAA's Southern Region. In addition, Heitman recently published Flying and Learning: Basics for Every Pilot, available for $14.95 plus $3 shipping from Dreamflyer Publications, Post Office Box 11583, Durham, NC 27703.
Aerial photography by Owen Kanzler, AOPA 816866, will be on display January 4 through March 29 at the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey.
Brook Miller, AOPA 1276231, of Rocky Point, New York, was presented $500 by the Air Line Pilots Association for her performance as Top Pilot at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's Region VII safety and evaluation conference in Wilmington, Delaware. Miller is a senior at Dowling College.
Woman Pilot magazine, published in Arlington Heights, Illinois, has conferred the Woman Pilot Recognition of Excellence Award upon several AOPAmembers. Among those named are air racer Mardell Haskins, AOPA 1171689; teacher Celia Vanderpool, AOPA 1062741; and Daniel Webster College chief flight instructor Robin Bray, AOPA 824560. Among those receiving the Woman Pilot Director's Award are world-circling pilot Linda Finch, AOPA 889147; Women in Aviation President Peggy Baty, AOPA 1119828; and Mir space station veteran and astronaut Shannon Lucid, AOPA 283741.
Vincent Vitollo, AOPA 080952, of Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, was selected to receive the 1997 John Moody Award from the United States Ultralight Association. Vitollo's dedication and devotion to all phases of ultralight development earned him the honors. The Moody Award is presented annually to an individual or group for significant contributions or advancement of ultralight aviation in the United States.
Ted Koston, AOPA 197510, of Melrose Park, Illinois, was named Aviation Historian of the Year by the OX-5 Aviation Pioneers. Koston is an aviation photographer and member of the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame.
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